After Nearly a Decade of Testing Google Nest and Amazon Echo Smart Speakers in My Home, Here’s What I Liked About Each – CNET

When it comes to smart speakers, Amazon Echo and Google Nest have been the main players in the game since they arrived on the scene. Both smart speaker lines have come a long way since then, but what I still find interesting is just how much the products overlap while offering something unique and individual at the same time.

I’ve used both Amazon Echo and Google Nest smart speakers for years now, dating back to the first generation of both devices. I’ve swapped out some products with new versions throughout the years, including a Nest Hub Max, multiple Nest Minis and Echos, Echo Shows and plenty of regular Echos (and Echo Dots). In that time, I’ve grown comfortable with each device, knowing their strengths and weaknesses and finding ways to maximize what they’re capable of.

Having tested the latest versions of some of each company’s best products — the Echo Studio and the Nest Audio — I’m finding that the lines between these devices continue to blur. With such a vast catalog of smart speakers and smart displays between the two companies, they both have a device that’s right for most people.

But for the consumer looking to buy just one, there are still significant differences, which are worth noting. Some people prefer the deep integration that Amazon provides, while others prefer the wide availability of apps and services Google offers.

The Key Differences: Ecosystem, Control, Sound and Voice

There are five key categories that I focus on when evaluating these two lines of smart speakers. Let’s look at how Amazon and Google fare in each.

Amazon Echo

Ecosystem

• Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant has the most expansive collection of “skills” or capabilities you can use to automate routines, manage devices in your smart home or simply order pizza. It’s got an advantage in third-party product compatibility.
• Alexa’s skill-based integration also means Amazon integrates into an ecosystem with a lot more smart home devices.

Control

• I love how easy it is to use a phrase like, “Alexa, turn off the lights and start my favorite playlist,” on an Echo. It’s streamlined and intuitive.
• Alexa’s capabilities to find answers is generally fast and helpful and I found the same is true for finding local recommendations (such as “Alexa, show me good restaurants near me”) — sometimes it’s even faster and more helpful than Google. It’s definitely a strong area of focus.

Sound

• I enjoy how the Echo Dot can create a sense of being in the room, making the volume more expansive and ambient than you’d expect.
• The Echo Studio has the best-sounding audio output I’ve heard out of a smart speaker. It also integrates seamlessly with the Amazon Music service.

Voice

• If I want to just quickly ask Alexa a quick question, it usually gets me the information faster, like telling me how long a flight will take or giving me sports scores.
• It can also understand what I say even when I’m talking over background music or in a busy place, though it’s not always perfect.

Google Nest

Ecosystem

• Nest is good at communicating with many other Google services, like Google Maps, Search and the Chromecast streaming protocol, making it a nice centerpiece in my smart home that can connect various services seamlessly.
• Google Home offers integration into a massive network of smart home and internet-connected devices. It’s not the same level of product support that Amazon offers but its library is still vast.

Control

• You can give your smart home an easy-to-understand setup with phrases like, “Hey Google, turn off the TV” without specifying what brand TV it is. It’s nice having to use less complicated commands.
• Using Google Home to find answers tends to offer information in a straightforward format, providing you with more content than you could potentially handle, which I really enjoy.

Sound

• When you listen to music on the Nest Audio it sounds richer, with fuller bass notes, and there are more musical tones when listening to certain music. I enjoy how well Google Home works with the YouTube Music service for finding music.
• The Google Nest Audio sounds good at almost all volumes — a major benefit.

Voice

• If you want a quick, informational-heavy result with a lot of text — such as knowing more about a news event or a specific location — I found the Google Home can generally give you that information better than the Alexa.
• Voice detection is generally great but it sometimes needs help to discern between my voice and others, requiring me to provide feedback.

Amazon Echo’s Best Traits

• You can control your Echo speaker through a mobile app — either by using an Android device or an Apple iOS one. The Alexa mobile app, even with its vast collection of features, has been intuitive and easy to use, even if it’s more complex than a simple volume or song switch.
• While Amazon does not offer as many smart home devices as other manufacturers, there are plenty to be found to be compatible with the Alexa system. If you buy into Amazon’s product ecosystem, the experience is very polished, offering quick integrations for features like controlling lights, plugs, or even a smart thermostat.
• If you frequently order from Amazon (most of us probably do) using Amazon’s ecosystem to place an order via your voice, by far the easiest way to buy something, especially from the company’s own stores. The ordering capabilities are robust and highly helpful.
• The sound quality of Echo smart speakers has always been strong, which is a great advantage if you want to primarily use it for music listening, especially on a product like the Echo Studio, which is now competing more directly with high-end audio speakers.
• When you’re asking Alexa to play your favorite music — especially using services like Spotify or Pandora — Alexa understands the user’s preference more effectively and even proactively makes playlist suggestions that line up with your tastes.

Google Nest’s Best Traits

• You can control a smart home ecosystem from a mobile app with a dedicated “Google Home” app. This app is used for most interactions with the Google Nest speaker line — both controlling settings, playing music or looking up information on Google Search.
• If you’re trying to find something or an answer to a question, Google Home’s approach — as it leans on the core power of Google Search — provides an effective result that’s very powerful when answering straightforward questions. It also provides lots of great information when used as a conversational assistant.
• If you use Chromecast to play media, whether you want to send music to another device or show photos on the Nest Hub Max screen, this seamless integration with other devices really sets Google’s offering apart.
• Sound is important to a lot of people, especially in a world where everyone is searching for good home theater audio — Google has produced strong sound with its line of smart speakers.

The Bottom Line

If you’re going for a voice-based smart speaker, then you can’t go wrong with either Amazon Echo or Google Nest. But if you’re looking for an answer to a quick question — such as information on news events or asking the smart speaker about a city or a specific location — then you’ll probably find more value in the Google Nest.

Ultimately, it comes down to what’s most important to you. Both Amazon and Google offer their fair share of pros and cons. When trying to determine which system fits your needs better, take a closer look at your preferred services and make the choice that is right for you. You may even prefer to use one device type as your primary speaker, with another from a competing company to fill in the gaps in your experience.